Signalling apparatus



Jan. 13, 1959 B. M. HARRISON 2,869,027

SIGNALLING APPARATUS' Original Filed June 26, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 AAMPLIFIER 4-9 OF ECHO Y I 47 RECEIVER POWER SOURCE /N l/ENTOF? BERTRAMM. HA RFP/SON A TTOANEV Jan. 13, 1959 B. M. HARRISON 2,869,027

SIGNALLING APPARATUS Original Filed June 26, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 1vVEN TOR BERTRAM M. HA PRISON TTOPNEV Jah. 13, 1959 B. HARRISON 2,869,027

7 SIGNALLING APPARATUS Original Filed June 26. 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 3ZEEIIIIHIIIIIIIlllllllllllllllIIIZIIIIIHIIHIUI:

8/ i S v e3 84 FIG. 5

FIG. 3

//v VENTOR BERT/24M M. HARRISON AT OPNEV- Jan. 13, 1959 B. M. HARRISON2,869,027 SIGNALLING APPARATUS Original Filed June 26, 1942 4shets-sheet 4 /NVENTOR- BERTQAM M. HARP/SON A TTOPNEY SIGN ALLIYGAPPARATUS Bertram M. Harrison, Weliesley Hills, Mass, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Raytheon Manufacturing Company, a corporation ofDeiaware Original application June 26, 1942, Serial No. 448,669, nowPatent No. 2,724,099, dated November 15, 1955. Divided and thisapplication March 18, 1955, Serial No. 495,227

8 Claims. (Cl. 315-24) This is a division of application, Serial No.448,669, filed June 26, 1942, now Patent No. 2,724,099, issued November15, 1955.

The present invention relates to a system for providing absoluteposition and course indication of two vessels, one on which the systemis mounted and the other the vessel 'being observed, such, for instance,as a hostile submarine or other vessel.

While the present invention has particular application to naval andmilitary maneuvers, it may also be applied to commercial uses,particularly for determining in a 2 fog or under other low visibilityconditions the presence and position of neighboring vessels or obstacleor signal markings in the navigation of a commercial craft in order toavoid collision and also to steer a desired course.

The present invention has particularly for its aim the construction of asystem which is simple, durable and easily operative by the personnel ofa vessel. Further, such a system to be of greatest merit and utilitymust indicate the position and course of the vessel at all times so thatthe officer in charge of the vessel on which the equipment is mountedmay have before him a picture of what is happening during themaneuvering of both vessels with reference to the compass directions.This is particularly important in following the course of a submarineand planning an attack against it, since the submarine, particularlywhen under water, because of its slower speed, is maneuverable inshorter arcs, and, there', fore, unless the courses are clearly plottedand up to the second, the submarine may in a sharp maneuver avoid thepursuing vessel. The present system combines in its operation devicesfor distance measurement and direction determination preferablyemploying directive supersonic equipment of well-known and commonly usedconstruction. Such apparatus may be of the magnetostriction,piezoelectric, dynamic or other directive supersonic types or acombination of directive and non-directive receiving or sendingapparatus, Whichever may be found more convenient on the vessels onwhich the installation is made. It is possible also to use supersonicapparatus already used and installed upon the vessel, for instance, therotating directive projectors of the magnetostriction or piezoelectrictype. Such individual units may be used both for sending and receivingor the sending and receiving units may be separated and used in variouscombinations which do not particularly in themselves form the subjectmatter of the present invention.

The present invention will be more fully described in the specificationbelow by reference to the drawings made a part thereof in which Fig. 1shows a schematic diagram of the system; Fig. 2 shows a portion of themechanism of'Fig. 1 in completer detail than that shown in Fig. 1; Fig.3 illustrates a modified form of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4illustrates a detail of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 illustrates a detail of Fig. 3;and Fig. 6 shows a diagrammatic detail of some elements in the systemindicated in Fig. l.

In-the general system, as indicated in the figures, there is a. cathoderay tube 1 which is provided with the usual 2,869,027 Patented Jan. 13,1959 cathode 8 from which emanates the cathode ray beam 2 which may becontrolled by means of a suppressor grid 3 to suppress or pass thecathode ray beam and the usual pairs of plate electrodes 48 and 50, and49 and 51, in place of which deflecting coils may be used. This cathoderay beam in the present system may be used both to indicate the positionof the observing vessel and the vessel being observed. The systemincludes also means for determining the distance and direction of thevessel being observed.

This may include a sound projector 9 by means of which a sound waveimpulse of a group of high frequency oscillations may be sent outdirectively against the object whose distance and direction are to bedetermined. This projector, which may be immersed in the water, isrotated "by a shaft 10 through a suitable gearing system which isindicated in Fig. 1 by the gear 11 and worm 12 driven by a motor 13.Direction is determined by the position of the projector 9. If a soundbeam is sent out by the projector and an echo is received from theobject on the projector 9, or some other receiver, then it will be knownthat the direction of the vessel being observed is in the direction ofthe beam of sound emitted from the projector 9. The directive sound axisof the projector will be relatively indicatedby the swing of the cathodebeam 2, the direction of which is controlled by the magnetic fieldimpressed upon the tube by means of the magnet 14. For this purpose themotor 15 and the motor 13 preserve their identical position. The motor15 drives through the shaft 16 the gear of the differential 62. Thisdifferential comprises the gears 63 and 64 meshing with the gear 60 onthe one side and the gear on the other side, which latter gear is drivenby the compass repeater motor 66 through the equal ratio gears 67 and63. If the compass motor is still, the gears 63 and 64 carried by theshaft 69 drive the worm pinion 17 at the same rate as the shaft 16.However, if the ship is turning, the compass repeater motor 66 willrotate, compensating for the turn of the vessel so that the anglesreferring to the compass directions on the cathode ray tube will alwaysgive the cathode ray beam the true bearing corresponding to the truebearing of the projector beam.

The worm wheel. 17 drives the gear 18 to which is attached the collar 19on which the magnetic coil 14 is mounted. The collar 19 also carries twoslip rings 20 and 21 to which current is supplied by means of thebrushes 22 and 23 supported by bracket 26. The brushes 22., 23 areconnected to the direct current supply source 24 in the manner about tobe described for energizing the magnet 14.

The slip rings 20 and 21, the collar 19, the magnet 14 are all rotatedthrough the gear 18 positioned freely over a stationary collar 24attached to the cathode ray tube. The collar may be supported by thebase 27 on which the tube itself is mounted in the holder 28.

The radial direction of the magnet 14, therefore, cor responds incompass direction with reference to the indications adjacent the face 52of the cathode ray-tube to the absolute sound directive axis of theprojector 9.

A sound signal is sent out (assuming the alternating tated by the motor32 in the direction of the arrow 33,

brings the contacts of the switch 30 together as the spring arm 34 isforced to the right (Fig. 1), thus completing the electrical circuit tothe projector 9 over the wires 35 and 36. At the same time that a soundwave is sent out, the current through the coil 14 increases, drawing thecathode ray beam 2 across the face of the tube in the directionindicated by the arrows 37. The current increases in the coil 14 inaccordance with the increase of voltage impressed upon the coil. This iseffected by means of the contact brush 38 attached to the radial bar 39which also carries the arm 31. This bar 39 is electrically connectedwith the conducting ring 40 upon which bears the brush 41 which isconnected through the line 42 to the terminal of the brush 23 which isone connection for the coil 14. The other connection for the coil 14,namely, the connection 43, is connected through the direct currentsupply to the line 44 which terminates at one end 45 of the resistance46. As the arm 39 and its contact member 38 pass by the point 45, thepotential across the coil 14 gradually increases and, therefore, thecurrent through the coil. This increase is so adjusted that the positionof the cathode ray beam on the face of the tube travels at half thespeed of the sound wave in the medium, for instance, Water, in which theobservation is being made. To attain this result, the speed of the motor32 must, of course, be maintained constant. When the reflecting echoreturns to the projector 9 or to an independent receiver, if desired,its irnpulse is conducted over the line 47 to the receiver amplifier 48from whence the signal is impressed upon the grid 3 of the cathode raytube. This grid'may act to suppress the cathode ray beam, except at suchtimes as the signal is received, or the receiver amplifier may provide aserration of the cathode ray beam by use of an indicating electrode, orby impressing the potential on one of the cathode ray plates 48, 49, 50or 51. The distance, therefore, between the point A and the point B willprovide on the cathode ray tube face '52 a measure of the distancebetween the observing vessel which is at the point A and the observedvessel which is at the point B. The face of the cathode ray tube 52 maybe provided with some fluorescent material which will permit the imageof these two points to persist for a desired length of time so thatsuccessive points of observing vessel A and the observed vessel B willform a track course of the two vessels. 7

In the system so far described the position of the point B correspondingto the observed vessel is established from the point A which is theobserving vessel. The position of the observing vessel or the point A isestablished through the control of the two pairs of plates 48 and 50, 49and 51. These plates are connected to the rectangularly arrangedresistors 70 and 71 in the manner about to be described.

The plate 49 is connected by the conductor 72 to the conducting arm 73carried by the element 74, which maintains a constant position butdrives the plate 75, upon which the resistors 70 and 71 are mounted, ina direction corresponding to the reverse of the direction that thevessel is proceeding and at a proportional speed. The arm 76 connectingwith the resistor 71, also carried by the element 74, is connected bymeans of the conductor 77 to the deflecting plate 50. The other two d e;flecting plates 48 and 51 are connected to ground through the biasingbattery 79 While the junction of the resistors 70 and 71 is alsogrounded. By means of this arrangement, component voltages are impressedacross the plates 48 and 50 and 49 and 51 corresponding to the positionof the element 74 with reference to the plate 75 corresponding to themotion of the craft over the water or other medium. If the vessel, asillustrated by the element 74, is therefore traveling in the directionof the arrow 78 with respect to the plate 75, which, of course, meansthat the plate 75 is moving in the opposite direction, then the voltageimpressed between the plates 49 and 51 will decrease and similarly thevoltage across or between the plates 48 and 50, so that ultimately thevoltage across the plate electrodes of the cathode ray tube would bezero and the beam would occupy a centrailposition but for. theadditional biasing battery 79 which may be used. to position the cathoderay beam 2 initially in the center of the tube when. the element 74 n-tcenter of the square formed by the resistors 70 311171 The element 74and its associated parts are shown more in detail in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and5. In Fig. 3 there is shown a sector of a sphere 80 which is mounted ina universal joint 81, 82, the mounting 32 being rotated about a verticalaxis by means of the shaft 83 controlled and operated by the motor84.This motor 84 repeats the direction of the heading of the ship withrespect to the compass bearing and therefore orients the sector 80 of.the sphere in the right direction. Engaging the surface of the sphereis a contact wheel 85 This contact Wheel 85 is journaled in fixedbearings 86 supported by the bracket 87 mounted in fixed relation tosome portion 83 of the vessel. The wheel 85 is driven through a set ofgears 89 by the motor 90 so that the wheel 85 revolves at a speedcorresponding to the speed of the vessel.

The sector 80 of the sphere, therefore, is driven with respect to thefixed wheel 85 at a speed corresponding to the speed of the vessel inthe direction of the heading of the vessel. The wheel 85, Fig. 5, andthe supporting. bracket 87 carry the fixed contact arms 91 and 92corresponding to the arms 73 and 76 of Fig. 1, so that, as the sector80, which carries the resistors 93 and 94, corresponding to resistors 70and 71, is moved, the voltages Whichare picked off between the contactsof the conductors 91 and 92 on the resistors 93 and 94 and ground arethose impressed across the plates of the cathode ray tube. Thesevoltages acting on the plates position the beam of the cathode ray tubeso that the spot A marked on the face of the tube by the beamcorresponds to the position of the wheel 85.

When, therefore, the ships course is changed, the whole plate 80 Will berotated ,by the shaft 83 through the compass repeater motor 84. Sincethe motor 90 drives the wheel 85 proportional to the ships speed, thesector 80 will be moved at a velocity corresponding to the ships speedin the reverse direction from that in which the ship is heading, thuspreserving at all times the relative position of the sector 80 and thatof the vessel as represented by the wheel 85. In the initial operationof the device, the wheel 85 is set at the center of the sector 80 whichpositions the cathode ray beam 2 in the center of the face 52 of thecathode ray tube. The various elements of the system are'lined up witheach other so that the directive magnet 14 and the sector 80 correspondto the compass direction with reference to the direction of theprojector 9; that is to say, when the directive axis of the soundprojector points north, the magnet 14 should draw the beam in anortherly direction as registered on the face 52 of the cathode ray tube1.

In Fig. 6, a layout is indicated, showing in a general schematic fashionthe arrangement of the elements of the cathode ray tube. The suppressorgrid 3 may be inserted in a position after the tube 95 for concentratingthe cathode ray beam. The directive magnet 14 may be placed between thesuppressor grid 3 and the cathode plates 48, 49, 50 and 51 or it may beplaced beyond the plates. The front plate of the cathode ray tube may beprovided with a compass scale 96 and-the face of the tube itself withthe fluorescent material 97 for maintaining a persistence of the spotmade by the cathode ray beam. 1

In the arrangement indicated in Figs. 2 and 4, a modification of thearrangement of Figs. 3 and 5 is shown. In Fig. 2, a fiat disc 97corresponding to the sector 80 of the sphere is used. This is supportedby suitable ball bearing mountings 98 and is rotated by the motor 99through the worm gear 100 which meshes with the ring gear 101 on theedge of the plate 97. The motor is a compass repeater motor so that theorientation of the plate 97 gives the true compass bearing of thecourseof. the vessel. with reference to the driving wheel 102. The drivingwheel 102 which is' driven at the ships speed is operated and controlledby means of the motor 103 mounted in fixed relation with the vesselwhich drives the worm gear 104 and, through a gear unit 105, the drivingwheel 102. The driving wheel 102 is mounted in a suitable bearing andsupported by the bracket 106 also in a fixed relation with the vessel.Similarly, as in Fig. 5, the driving wheel 102 and its supports carrythe contact arms 107, 108, 109 and 110 bearing upon the resistancestrips 111, 112, 113 and 114, respectively. The strips 112 and 114 maybe connected in parallel and so also 111 and 113, in which case the arms108 and 110 are placed at the same potential and so also the arms 107and 109. The resistance elements 111, 112, 113 and 114 are mounted atthe edge of the bearing plate 115 upon which the wheel 102 bears. Thisplate is supported by rollers 116 and 117 of which there may be four,one at each corner of the plate. These may operate on tracks 118 runningin a direction at right angles to the tracks 119 and 120 on the surfaceof the plate 97 over which the platform 121 supported by the rollers 122and 123 moves. The tracks 119, 120 on the plate 97 account for onerectangular component of the motion of the vessel, and the tracks 118 onthe platform 121 account for the other rectangular component of motionof the vessel while the rotation of the plate 97 accounts for theheading of the vessel as effected by the bearing wheel 102. The wheel102, it will be appreciated, maintains its position with respect to theplate 97 whereas the plate 115 which carries the resistance element ismoved corresponding to the reverse direction of the ship through thewater so that the positionof the wheel 102 with reference to the plate115 will indicate the ships bearing upon the plate. Similarly, aspreviously described, this indication is transferred to the cathode raybeam to produce the desired positioning of the spot on the face of thetube.

What is claimed is:

1. A cathode ray tube system comprising an electron source, afluorescent target, means for directing a beam of electrons from saidelectron source toward said target, a first deflection means adapted tobe connected to a signal source for continuously orienting said beam ata position on said target in accordance with a signal from said signalsource, and a second movable deflection means for deflecting said beamalong predetermined paths about said oriented position on said target.

2. A cathode ray tube system comprising an electron source, afluorescent target, means for directing a beam of electrons from saidelectron source toward said target, a first deflection means adapted tobe connected to a signal source for continuously orienting said beam ata position on said target in accordance with a signal from said signalsource, and a second movable electromagnetic deflection means fordeflecting said beam along predetermined paths about said orientedposition on said target.

3. A cathode ray tube system comprising an electron source, afluorescent target, means for directing a beam of electrons from saidelectron source toward said target, electrostatic deflection meansadapted to be connected to a signal source for continuously orientingsaid beam at a position on said target in accordance with a signal fromsaid signal source, and a second movable deflection means for deflectingsaid beam along predetermined paths about said oriented position on saidtarget.

4. A cathode ray tube system comprising an electron source, afluorescent target, means for directing a beam of electrons from saidelectron source toward said target, electrostatic deflection meansadapted to be connected to a signal source for continuously orientingsaid beam at a position on said target in accordance with a signal fromsaid signal source, said electrostatic deflection means includingvertical deflection means and horizontal deflection means and a secondmovable deflection means for deflecting said beam along predeterminedpaths about said oriented position on said target.

5. A cathode ray tube system comprising an electron source, afluorescent target, means for directing a beam of electrons from saidelectron source toward said target, electrostatic deflection meansadapted to be connected to a signal source for continuously orientingsaid beam at a position on said target in accordance with a signal fromsaid signal source, and movable electromagnetic deflection meanspositioned between said electrostatic deflection means and said electronsource for deflecting said beam along predetermined paths about saidoriented position on said target.

6. A cathode ray tube system comprising an electron source, afluorescent target, means for directing a beam of electrons from saidelectron source toward said target, a first deflection means adapted tobe connected to a signal source for continuously orienting said beam ata position on said target in accordance with a signal from said signalsource, a second movable deflection means, and means for applyingpredetermined cyclical signals to said second movable deflection meansfor deflecting said beam along predetermined paths about said orientedposition on said target.

7. A cathode ray tube system comprising an electron source, afluorescent target, means for directing a beam of electrons from saidelectron source toward said target, a first deflection means adapted tobe connected to a signal source for continuously orienting said beam ata position on said target in accordance with a signal from said signalsource, a second movable deflection means for deflecting said beam alongpredetermined paths about said oriented position on said target, andmeans for modulating the intensity of said beam in accordance withintelligence signals.

8. A cathode ray tube system comprising an electron source, afluorescent target, means for directing a beam of electrons from saidelectron source toward said target, a first deflection means adapted tobe connected to a signal source for continuously orienting said beam ata position on said target in accordance with a signal from said signalsource, a second movable deflection means, means for applyingpredetermined cyclical signals to said second movable deflection meansfor deflecting said beam along predetermined paths about said orientedposition on said target, and means for modulating the intensity of saidbeam in accordance with intelligence signals, said intelligence signalsbearing synchronous relationship to said cyclical deflection of saidbeam.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,955,332 Iams Apr. 17, 1934 2,200,745 Heymann May 14, 1940 2,263,377Busignies et al Nov. 18, 1941 2,389,995 Packer Nov. 27, 1945 2,414,444Busignies Jan. 21, 1947 2,468,032 Busignies Apr. 26, 1949 FOREIGNPATENTS 494,263 Great Britain Oct. 24, 1938

